19 NOVEMBER 2018

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Pacquiao Is The Complete Package

By Matthew Hurley: Even those of us who anticipated an eventual beat down of Ricky Hatton by Manny Pacquiao never truly anticipated a complete blowout of the junior welterweight champion. Once again the ‘Pac Man’ not only proved his greatness as a fighter but also elevated his stature among the all time great fighters. We are now witnessing something very special.

Right from the outset those who thought Ricky Hatton might have some advantage in overall strength were dissuaded of such a notion when Pacquiao had no problem establishing his strength over the natural 140-pound fighter. But it was the speed that Hatton truly couldn’t deal with. It’s what makes Pacquiao’s power punches so crippling. His opponents just don’t see the punches coming.

I mentioned in a preflight article that, “We should know how this fight will go early on when Manny lands his Sunday punch and Hatton reacts with either a shrug or a shudder.”

We had our answer very early on when Hatton hit the deck from an overhand right and then fell again right before the bell. Hatton simply couldn’t handle that insane speed that actually seems blinding in slow motion.

But Pacquiao isn’t just a great fighter, he’s a great finisher. God help his prey when it finds itself wounded. Without hesitation or thought Pacquiao’s killer instinct takes over and the quiet, gentleman who can charm the socks off even the most jaded of sports writers becomes a frightening presence.

One quick left hook that landed absolutely perfectly on Hatton’s chin in the second round ended matters in a very scary manner. Hatton hit the deck as if he’d been shot and boxing fans, no matter who they were cheering for, prayed that the lovable Mancunian was all right. It looked bad for a while but Ricky eventually walked out of the ring of his own volition. He seemed OK as trudged back to his dressing room but immediately thereafter he was heading off to the hospital for precautionary observations.

There should be no doubt any more, if there ever was any, that Manny Pacquiao is something very special. He is a fighter to be cherished by not only the boxing community but by the sports world in general. Athletes like Manny Pacquiao only come around once in a very great while.

We are witnessing greatness in Manny Pacquiao. He is something very, very special. The come-backing Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been put on notice. This is what the term pound-for-pound really means – laying it all out on the line with a combination of skill and ferocity. At 30 years of age Manny Pacquiao is the complete package, a great fighter who is great fun to watch. Boxing simply does not get any better than this.